Thanksgiving is a cooking holiday, but most of us have our recipes down for that. Heading into gift-giving season, though, maybe you’re looking to shake it up, or get a new go-to source for mindblowing homecooked food. The Daily Kos staff includes a bunch of committed cooks, so here are some of our favorite cookbooks.
Salt Fat Acid Heat—Jen Hayden is constantly tormenting us with tales (and pictures) of amazing food she’s made from Samin Nosrat’s modern classic.
How to Cook Everything—Speaking of modern classics, Mark Bittman’s bible is equally well suited for the beginning cook and the home cooking expert. He offers multiple variations on many recipes so that if you master a technique but want to shake things up, you have options. If you have a random ingredient and don’t know what to do with it, look it up in the index and you are likely to find your answer. The Food Matters Cookbook is another invaluable Bittman resource.
The Food Lab will not only tell you what works, it will tell you why. Fantastic recipes for classic dishes and new twists alike.
Dinner: Changing the Game—Melissa Clark of The New York Times offers mostly one-pan recipes that look way more complicated than they are. The real challenge with this cookbook is remembering how easy everything is—yes, you really do have time to do that recipe. Clark’s Dinner in an Instant is also a nice resource for people trying to figure out what to do with that new Instant Pot.
America’s Test Kitchen: Vegetables Unlimited was hailed for “its sheer breadth and depth” and as “perfect for those with a CSA.”
Vegan? Check out Oh She Glows, which also has tons of gluten-free recipes.
Also mentioned: Ceviche by Martin Morales. The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman. Any Night Grilling by Paula Disbrowe. Myers & Chang at Home by Joanne Chang and Karen Akunowicz.